CHAPTER FIVE: COUNTERFIET SMILES (cont2)

As Vash knelt, basking in satisfaction, Vanessa entered the cave. "The tub should be warm in a few hours," she said, sitting beside Knives in an awkwardly obedient gesture.

"You're first," Knives replied, smiling, without looking up from his book.

"But I always do. That's not fair to you two," she argued.

Knives brushed his hand across her cheek, again not looking up, as if to end the discussion.

Vanessa sighed silently, glancing to Vash quickly.

"Vash was just putting an interesting wager before me," Knives stated. "He has offered to stay with us and the plants on this planet so long as I allow the humans to vacate without incident. Those rescue ships are due within months, and he's getting nervous." His gaze remained fixed on his novel, proving the grave confidence and control he believed himself to hold over all other inhabitants of Gunsmoke.

Vanessa looked up to Vash questioningly, then slipped back into her act. "What a silly brother you have," she replied, smiling. "He loves the humans too much to stay behind, don't you, Vash?"

Vash gulped as she caught his bluff. "I'll remain here, in exchange for their lives."

"There's no need for anymore painful sacrifices," Vanessa continued, ignoring his words. "Vash should go on with the humans, don't you agree?" she added, leaning against Knives.

"The only way to keep him from multiplying his scars is for him to be with us," Knives stated solemnly. "I care for Vash too much to let any more atrocities…"

"To be away from them would be worse than gunshot wounds," Vanessa argued softly.

"Right, well, forget I said anything," Knives snapped. "I'd like to finish this book before sundown."

Vanessa and Vash exchanged uncomfortable glances until Vanessa rose to check on the bathwater. She didn't return until she had bathed and dressed, to inform Knives of his turn in the basin outside.

Knowing that his brother tended to take long baths, Vash waited until Knives had slipped from the cave to turn to Vanessa. She was gathering her sewing basket, and, he guessed, headed to sew at the cave roof.

"You don't want me around, huh?" he asked her quietly.

"That's not it, I just know you enough to know why you told him that," she replied sternly. "And both you and I know that you can scarcely survive without the friendship of those people. Those humans are your extended family, somehow, so I think you should go with them."

"Thanks for thinking about me," he answered quickly, "But I can't leave you with him. I mean, unless you…"

"What?" she asked. "You think I enjoy…Oh, nevermind."

Vash sauntered over to her. He paused and placed his hand over hers to ask her attention. "We need to talk," he muttered.

Vanessa did not turn to look at him. "I don't think…"

"It's important," Vash insisted, giving her hand a squeeze.

Hesitating, she stood. "What," she murmured simply.

Vash glanced towards the cave mouth. "Come in the back, it's too important to let him overhear," he whispered, ushering her into the deeper cave cavity.

In this large, damp room, the reflecting light softly illuminated the far pond and the kitchen area.

Vanessa stood before him, arms crossed in expectation.

Finally getting to stare into her eyes, Vash gathered his thoughts. 'I think I was going to confront her about this lie she's living,' he remembered.

"Vash…what?" Vanessa again asked. She looked fatigued from having to hold in her emotions and instincts in order to fool Knives into thinking that she returned his affections. The difficulty of it was apparently wearing her down.

Vash's face turned into a deep concern. "You can't keep this up," he murmured. "He seems fooled for now, but this is no long-term solution."

"Did you think of something?" she whispered. "Is that it?" A glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes, sparking enough life into her features that Vash felt a twang in his heart.

He had no strategy to replace her plan. If she were to stop softening Knives' heart through these lies, Knives would surely become calloused and compassionless as before. No one could be saved then.

Vash's expression revealed the truth to her. Rather than letting her throat tighten with sadness, she began to walk past Vash into the main area. Brushing past him on the way out, she sighed softly.

Vash stopped her, his hand at her shoulder. Looking into her eyes again, he wondered what he could say to console her, to give her that spark of hope once more.

He found himself leaning down slightly and he kissed her softly for a moment.

Vanessa drew away from him in surprise. She hesitated, eyes filling with tears. She bit her lip nervously.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, face flushed. "It's just, I…I want to be honest with you, so you can be honest with me. If for nobody else but me, please let yourself speak freely for a second," he stammered.

Vanessa's heart pounded and her vision became fuzzy as she slid into emotions.

"Please don't cry," Vash asked softly, moving towards her. But he stopped himself, not wanting to be forceful with her like Knives was. If he was to witness her genuine feelings, he would have to let her make the actions. "I just want to see you happy."

She concentrated on his face. As usual, he was looking to her with such a true affection, something rare in such times. Had anyone else treated her with such esteem without asking for something in return? She could scarce remember seeing in any other soul the innocence that Vash emitted.

She found herself reaching to embrace him as tears fell from her eyes.

Vash leaned against the carving table behind him as he held her. A few cold beads of water fell onto his hands from her hair as he pressed his palms against her back. She smelled like soap and dust to him.

Her heart was beating a million miles away, and most of the blood rushed from her mind. She felt faint.

Again, they kissed, but it was Vanessa who brought the action. She was a little clumsy from lack of practice, and a little rough from lack of restraint.

Vash couldn't remember the last time he'd felt like this, since the intense challenges he'd faced in the last twenty years had kept him from the arms of women. Vanessa entered his life at the moment he most needed her, as a healer, a confidant, and fellow member of the species. Without hesitating like Vash had, she cured Knives' infection. She didn't judge Vash upon learning of his past. And as the only other plant child he knew to be alive at the time (besides himself and his brother), Vash inherently knew that Vanessa was the key to 'saving' Knives. He hadn't thought of how, but somehow he figured that this calm, wise woman would hold the secret to Knives' affliction of hate.

Now that she'd finally fulfilled this prophecy – having discovered the way to create grief and compassion in Knives - Vash wanted in his heart to stop her.

He felt a hot tear fall from her cheek to his chin as she stopped, and drew gently from him. She looked to the floor for guidance, and rubbed her palms against her dress before crossing them awkwardly.

"Forget this happened," she mumbled, standing a foot or two from him.

Vash shook his head. "My memory's better than that."

Vanessa rubbed her wrist roughly against her face to destroy the tears. "Excuse me," she muttered in a whisper, rushing from the room. She gathered her sewing supplies and Vash's old, red trenchcoat, and headed for the cave top.

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